Method and apparatus for the continuous wet treatment of textile fabrics

ABSTRACT

A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS WET TREATMENT OF FABRICS INVOLVES LEADING THE FABRICS THROUGH A WET TREATMENT ZONE EXTENDING OVER THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE FABRICS. IN THE WET TREATMENT LIQUID, THE JETS BEING SUBJECTED TO JETS OF THE TREATMENT LIQUID, THE JETS BEING WIDE AND JETS WHICH ARE LAMINAR, DIMENSIONALLY STABLE,   AND FIXED AS TO TIME AND LOCATION. THESE JETS ARE DIRECTED AGAINST THE TEXTILE MATERIALS UNDER PRESSURE AND AT AN ANGLE OF BETWEEN 45 AND 135* TO THE SURFACE OF THE FABRICS, THE PRESSURE BEING SUCH THAT THE JETS PRESS THROUGH THE TEXTILE MATERIAL.

Sept- 20, 1971 P. SCHROEDER HETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS WETTREATMENT. OF TEXTILE FABRICS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 3, 1968INVENTOR. BY fife? I'd/(M Afraid!- Sept. 20, 1971 p, SCHRQEDER 3,605,454

METHOD AND AIPARATUS FOR THE counnuous WET TREATMENT OF TEXTILE FABRICS2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 3, 1968 INVENTOR. Perm JCHRoenevz BY hwwfiwUnited States Patent 3,605,454 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINU- OUSWET TREATMENT OF TEXTILE FABRICS Peter Schroeder, Arni, Switzerland,assignor to Paul Weber AG, Rothrist, Switzerland Filed Dec. 3, 1968,Ser. No. 780,631 Claims priority, applicatior; ggvitzerland, Jan. 8,1968,

Int. Cl. B05c 3/12, 8/04 US. CI. 68-62 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A method and apparatus for the continuous wet treatment offabrics involves leading the fabrics through a wet treatment zoneextending over the entire Width of the fabrics. In the wet treatmentzone, the fabrics are subjected to jets of the treatment liquid, thejets being wide band jets which are laminar, dimensionally stable, andfixed as to time and location. These jets are directed against thetextile materials under pressure and at an angle of between 45 and 135to the surface of the fabrics, the pressure being such that the jetspress through the textile material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Continuous wet treatment of textile fabricsincludes washing, bleaching, steaming, dyeing, impregnating, shrinking,creping, or mercerizing textiles such as woven or knit goods, fleeces ofnatural or synthetic fiber or filaments, and the like. Difiiculty hashitherto been encountered in developing a method and apparatus for thecontinuous wet treatment of textile fabrics capable of providing anintensive and, at the same time, absolutely uniform treatment, of atextile material at a high throughput rate, and which is adaptable toall variables of the textile material, such as areal density, thickness,resistance to deformation, stiffness, permeability and wettability, aswell as being adaptable to variables of the treatment liquid, such astemperature and viscosity. Such adaptability is necessary to provide thebest conditions for each textile material and for each type oftreatment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the continuous wettreatment of textile fabrics and, more particularly, to a novel andimproved method and apparatus for continuous wet treatment of textilefabrics and capable of providing the best treatment conditions for eachtextile material or fabric and each type of treatment.

In accordance with the method of the invention, the treatment liquid, inthe form of a dimensionally and physically constant laminar jet, whichis stationary or fixed with respect to time and place, is directedagainst successive lengths of the textile material under pressure and atan angle between 45 and 135 to the surface of the material and thuspressured through the textile material.

By changing the tension and the travelling speed of the textile materialthrough the treatment zone, by moving the textile material into atreatment liquid volume, such as in a tank, and by selecting thethickness of the wide band jet as well as its inclination toward thetextile surface to be within the stated angular range, and finally byadjusting the pressure, temperature and quantity of the liquid in thewide band jet, it is possible to obtain optimum values for anytreatment.

The apparatus of the invention includes devices to lead the textilematerial through the Wet treatment zone at a uniform speed, and includesa revolving supporting 3,505,454 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 body ofcircular cross section so disposed, in the path of the textile materialthrough the treatment zone, that the textile material engages againstthe periphery of this body at least in the treatment zone. The apparatusfurther includes at least one wide band jet nozzle which provides fortreatment liquid supplied to it to be discharged through its dischargeopening in the form of a constant wide band jet oriented in a directiontoward the supporting body. The relative position of the wide band jetnozzle discharge mouth and the supporting body is so selected that thewide band jet impacts on the tangential plane of the material at itsline of contact with the supporting body and at an angle between 45 andAn object of the invention is to provide an improved method for thecontinuous wet treatment of textile fabrics.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus for thecontinuous wet treatment of textile fabrics.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a method in whichthe treatment liquid is directed against the travelling textile materialin the form of a dimensionally constant laminar, physically stable wideband jet which is stationary with respect to time and location.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a method andapparatus in which the jet is directed against the textile materialunder pressure and at an angle of betwen 45 and 135 to the surface ofthe material for pressing of the treatment liquid through the textilematerial.

For an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference ismade to the following description of typical embodiments thereof asillustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic vertical sectional view through one formof treatment apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic vertical sectional view through a secondform of treatment apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat schematic vertical sectional view through a thirdform of apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the discharge mouth of a wide band jetnozzle used in the apparatus of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view through a modified form of wide bandjet nozzle having an adjustable jet thickness or width.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIG. 1, anopen tank 1 contains treatment liquid 2 for the wet treatment of textilematerial 3. Textile material 3 is pulled through the treatment liquid 2in a known manner, consequently not shown in detail, over lightlytensioned rollers or over rollers which have a definite adjustabletension. The textile material is moved through the treatment liquid at auniform and adjustable rate of speed. In the treatment liquid 2, textilematerial 3 runs around a supporting body 4 designed as a cylindricalperforated drum and preferably rotated at a peripheral speed harmonizingwith the linear speed of the textile material. In the area in which thetextile material 3 engages the peripheral surface of the drum shell,there are disposed two wide band jet nozzles 5 and 6, the details ofwhich are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The characteristic of wide band jet nozzles 5 and 6 is such thattreatment liquid supplied thereto is discharged through their dischargemouths 7 in the form of a steady, dimensionally and physically stablewide band jet which is stationary or fixed with respect to time andplace. For this purpose, the discharge mouth of each jet is formed bytwo strips 9 which extend parallel to each other over the greatest partof their length, but which are bent toward each other at their ends toform bent points 8. The curvaure at points 8 is so chosen as to developthe fewest possible eddy separations at the two ends of the liquid jetdischarged from the gap between the strips 9. As to the ratio of thedistance b between the two strips, e.g. the gap width, to the width h ofthe strips 9, e.g. the gap height or extent of the strips in the flowdirection, tests have shown that h:b=3:1 to 7:1

results in optimal conditions. These dimensions are shown in FIG. 5.

It has also been proven advantageous to have the upstream edges of thetwo strips 9 bent away from each other, as shown in FIG. 5, so thatthere will be no constriction in the thickness of the wide band jet. Inthis case, the radius r of the curvature of the upstream ends is soselected as to be at least equal to the gap width b.

The gap width of the discharge mouth of a wide band jet nozzle, of thetype shown in FIG. 4, is not adjustable. The wide band jet nozzlebecomes more universal when the thickness of the wide band jet leavingits discharge mouth can be varied or adjusted. For this purpose, anozzle design, such as shown in FIG. 5, has a variable gap width in thatthe mutual spacing of the two strips 9 is made adjustable.

As previously stated, two such wide band jet nozzles and 6 are providedin the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. These jets are so positioned, belowthe level of treatment liquid 2 in tank 1, and outside of supportingbody 4, that their discharge mouths 7 extend parallel to the axis ofsupporting body 4. Furthermore, the jet nozzles are so oriented towardthe outer surface of drum 4 that the tangential plane of a wide band jetdischarged from each nozzle forms a right angle at its line of contactwith sup porting body 4 or textile material 3 extending around thesupporting body.

It is advantageous when, in a manner not shown, the distance of thedischarge mouth of each wide band jet nozzle from the opposing surfaceof supporting body 4 is adjustable.

It is also advantageous, for certain applications and treatments, whenthe wide band jet discharged from the wide band jet nozzles 5 and 6 isoriented so as not to form a right angle at its line of contact with thedrum 4 or the material 3, but rather to form an acute angle with respectto the contacted surface of the textile material. Preferably thearrangement is such that, in a manner not shown, not only the spacingbut also the orientation of each wide band jet nozzle is adjustable withrespect to supporting body 4 and through a range sufiicient for theangle, included between the discharge wide band jet and the tangentialplane at its line of contact with the supporting body shell 4, to beadjustable between 45 and 135 In FIG. 1, treatment liquid is supplied,by a pump 12, to nozzles 5 and 6 through respective lines 10 and 11connected to respective flow decelerating bodies or chambers eachmounting a nozzle 5 or 6. Rotary valves 13 in lines 10 and 11 providefor individual adjustment of the quantity of liquid supplied throughthese lines and, accordingly, through the associated nozzles 5 and 6downstream of the respective valve 13. In the illustrated example,treatment liquid pumped by pump 12 is taken from tank 1 per se through aline 14.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 differs from that shownin FIG. 1 in that the wide band jet nozzles 15 and 16 are disposed inthe interior of supporting body 4, which is again designed as aperforated drum. In the same manner as for the nozzles in FIG. 1, thedis charge mouths of the nozzles 15 and 16 of FIG. 2 extend parallel tothe drum axis or center line, and the nozzles are so disposed that thewide band jets discharged therefrom are radial to the drum. While twowide band jet nozzles 15 and 16 are shown in FIG. 2, having dischargemouths oriented toward respectively difierent parts of the drum shell,one nozzle or more than two nozzles can be disposed in a suitable mannerto discharge radially toward the shell of drum 4.

In order that treatment liquid directed by the nozzle or nozzles againstsupporting body 4 and, through its perforations, against textile web 3,cannot push textile web 3 away from the peripheral wall of drum 4, web 3is guided, in the effective range of the nozzle or nozzles, betweensupporting body 4 and a supporting belt 17. Belt 17 is designed as anendless permeable belt, such as being in the form of a net which exceedsin width, as does also supporting body 4 as to axial width, the width ofthe textile material. Belt 17 runs over tensioning rollers 19 and ispreferably driven by one of these rollers at the same linear speed asthe textile material and the same peripheral speed of supporting body 4at the points of contact.

It is important to note, in the embodiment of the invention shown inFIG. 2, that pump 12, which feeds the treatment liquid through a line 20and a liquid channel located in the shaft of drum 4, takes this liquidfrom tank 1 outside of supporting body 4 at a point which is on thatside of the textile material opposite to the wide band jet nozzles. Alsoto be noted is that the jet nozzles are arranged in a common flowdeclerating body or chamber 18 within the shell of drum 4. In theembodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, it is also advantageouswhen the arrangement is such that the spacing and orientation of thenozzles, with respect to the shell of body 4, are adjustable.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 3 differs from that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2in that tank 1, for treatment liquid 2, is divided into two chambers 21and 22, of which chamber 21 is open and chamber 22 is designed as aclosed, pressurized flow decelerating chamber. Supporting body 4, againin the form of a perforated drum, is accommodated in open chamber 21.Wide band jet nozzles 24, 25 and 26 are built into the separating wall23 between the two chambers 21 and 22, and these wide band jet nozzlescorrespond to the nozzles 5 and 6 of FIG. 1 and the nozzles 15 and 16 ofFIGS. 1 and 2. Their discharge mouths open into the open chamber 21, andthe nozzles are oriented radially of supporting body 4.

The operation of the apparatus embodying the invention will now bedescribed. Textile material 3, to be treated, is led continuously and ata uniform rate of speed over supporting body 4. Pump 12 supplies thewide band jet nozzles with liquid drawn from tank 1. It is also possibleto place several identical pieces of apparatus in series for certainapplications, and then to draw the liquid for the wide band jet nozzlesof one tank from a succeeding tank. This arrangement is known, intextile treating, under the designation cascade arrangement with countercurrent principle.

Due to the wide band jet nozzles, the treatment liquid is directed inthe form of a steady, physically and dimensionally constant wide bandjet or jets which are stationary with respect to time and location, thetreatment liquid being directed under pressure over the entire width ofsuccessive part lengths of the textile material and pressed through thetextile material. This pressing of the treatment liquid is augmented, inthe apparatus of FIG. 2, by the suction effect on that side of thetextile material opposite to the side directly contacted by the wideband jets, the suction being effected by pump 12.

A steady, dimensionally and physically constant stationary wide bandjet, which. is stationary with respect to time and place, is hereunderstood to mean a wide band jet whose lines of flow run parallel toeach other and whose flow is uniform over the entire treatment zone ofthe textile material contacted by the wide band jet, thus meaning thatthe total energy supplied to the textile material is momentarilyconstant at every point of the treatment zone and each infinitesimalpart of the entire textile material is supplied with exactly the samemomentarily constant energy required for the material exchange betweenthe textile and the treatment liquid. The thickness of the flat liquidjet discharged from the nozzles can be adapted to carrying out anydesired process by altering the gap widths of the nozzles.

The treatment liquid pressed through the textile widths in this mannerflows, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, into the interior of supportingbody 4 through the perfora tions and its shell, and there mixes againwith the rest of the treatment liquid 2 in tank 1.

However, if the textile material is led through a treatment process withvarious phases, where each phase works with a different concentration(such as in washing), it is advantageous to use the apparatus shown inFIG. 2. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, no intermixing, at thedischarge mouths of the nozzles and between these discharge mouths andthe textile material, can take place with respect to treatment liquid 2already present in tank 1, because the liquid which has alreadyparticipated in the treatment is being drawn off on that side of thetextile material which is opposite to the side contacted by the wideband jets.

A treatment in which the liquid circulates in one direction and in apredeterminable manner can be carried out even more effectively with theapparatus shown in FIG. 3, where an intermixing of the liquid volume onopposite side of the textile web is made impossible by the dilferentpressures prevailing in the chambers 21 and 22. The liquid underpressure in chamber 22 is directed against the textile material by thenozzles 24, 25 and 26, is forced through the textile web and is thendrawn out of chamber 21. Since a part of the liquid discharged from thenozzles is deflected by the textile surface, there is developed, in thechannel 28, a liquid layer having the concentration of the suppliedfresh liquid and not the concentration of the used liquid in chamber 21.In addition, the liquid discharged from nozzles 24, 25 and 26 over theentire width of the tank prevents liquid of one concentration, fromchamber 21, being transported into channel 28 by the motion of thetextile material. Therefore, the textile material leaving the apparatushas ab sorbed substantially exclusively liquid discharged from chamber22, which is a matter of importance, especially in washing.

Instead of textile material in the form of webs, textile fibers can alsobe treated in the described manner in the invention apparatus, in thatthe textile fibers are inserted with a certain thickness between, forinstance, too permeable, such as net-like, supporting webs, and theassembly is then lead through the equipment as though it were onetextile web. 7

An important advantage of the apparatus embodying the invention is thatthe apparatus is capable of high temperature treatment of the textilematerial, for instance in dyeing, bleaching, etc., in that the treatmentliquid introduced is brought by the pump to, for example, 4 at-m. abs.or more, thus making it possible to bring the liquid onto and into thematerial to be treated at a temperature of more than 140 C. That theapplied treatment liquid later evaporates until the thermodynamicequilibrium is attained in the processing tank is of no significance,because it is very much better intermixed with the material to betreated, in the treatment zone, than is the case of conventionalmethods.

Instead of being completely immersed in the treatment liquid in thetank, as illustrated in the drawings, the wide band jet nozzle ornozzles could, for certain applications, advantageously be placedoutside of the treatment liquid. In such case, the liquid level in thetank would have to be so selected that the supporting body opposite thewide band jet nozzle or nozzles is above the liquid level in the tank.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for the continuous wet treatment of areal textilefabrics, including means guiding the textile material through a wettreatment zone at a uniform rate of speed, a supporting body which iscircular in cross section so positioned in the path of movement of thetextile material that the textile material, in at least the treatmentzone, engages against the circular periphery of said body, and at leastone jet nozzle discharging treatment liquid supplied thereto in adirection toward the supporting body, the improvement comprising, incombination, each jet nozzle being a wide band jet nozzle dischargingtreatment liquid through which discharge mouth in the form of a steadywide band jet; the discharge mouth of each wide band jet nozzle beingformed by two strips which, for the major portion of their lengths areparallel, and which are bent toward each other and joined at their endsto form rounded joints; the ratio of the lateral spacing of said stripsto the extent of said strips in the flow direction being between 1:3 and1:7; the discharge mouth of each wide band jet nozzle being so arranged,with respect to said supporting body, that the treatment liquiddischarged from each wide band jet nozzle strikes the textile materialas a band-shaped laminar wide band jet which is homogenous over theentire width of the textile material in so far as the concentration,viscosity, the temperature, output and pressure of the treat-ment mediumare concerned.

2. In apparatus for continuous wet treatment of areal textile fabrics,the improvement claimed in claim 1, in which the upstream entry edges ofsaid strips are bent away from each other with the radius of curvaturebeing at least equal to the spacing between said strips at the dischargemouth of each nozzle.

3. In apparatus for the continuous wet treatment of areal textilefabrics, the improvement claimed in claim 1, in which the lateralspacing between said strips is adjustable.

4. In apparatus for the continuous wet treatment of areal textilefabrics, the improvement claimed in claim 1, in which the distancebetween the discharge end of each nozzle and said supporting body isadjustable.

5. In apparatus for the continuous wet treatment of areal textilefabrics, the improvement claimed in claim 1, in which the entry end ofeach jet nozzle communicates with an expansion chamber decelerating theflow of treatment medium fed to the nozzle and positioned between eachnozzle and the source of treatment medium.

6. In apparatus for the continuous wet treatment of areal textilefabrics, the improvement claimed in claim 5, in which a single saidexpansion chamber communicates with plural jet nozzles.

7. In apparatus for the continuous wet treatment of textile material,the improvement claimed in claim 1, in which said supporting body is aperforated rotatable drum; each wide band jet nozzle being disposed inthe lnterior of said drum and having a relatively elongated dischargemouth extending parallel to the axis of the drum; each wide band jetnozzle discharging against the inner surface of the peripheral wall ofsaid drum; there bemg at least two wide band jet nozzles disposed withinsaid drum with each having its discharge mouth directed against arespective different part of the inner surface of the peripheral wall ofsaid drum.

'8. In appaartus for the continuous wet treatment of textile material,the improvement claimed in claim 7, in which said tank is divided intoone open chamber and one closed and pressurized chamber; said supportingbody being positioned in said open chamber; a separating wall dividingsaid chambers from each other; each wide band jet nozzle extendingthrough said separating wall between 7 8 said chambers and dischargingin the direction of said FOREIGN PATENTS Pe11chamben 3 164 10 62 s- 84References Cited ,7 93 /19 Japan 6 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM 1.PRICE, Primary Examiner 1,175,538 3/1916 Matos 6862 2,590,407 3/1952Haas 68184 CL 3,270,532 9/1966 Chaikin etal. 68184X 68184

